“Female tennis players have big egos, so it’s very hard for us to sit together. We get jealous easily.”

I've heard tennis announcers make similar claims while watching a WTA match. One color commentator pointed out how the men will hang out together off court, go out to clubs etc… but the women avoid each other and aren't particularly friendly toward one another off court.

I can't say I'm really surprised by this but I would like to hear more about it. Is there another thread on this forum or an article someone here can point me towards that explores this issue in a bit more depth?

Thanks.

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As many tennis writers have noted, this is in part an exaggeration. I'd be interested to know the context behind the quote, and specifically what she was asked that elicited that response.

There's certainly a fair amount of heirarchy in the game, with younger/higher-ranked players pulling rank on younger/lower-ranked ones. But it's often noted, by sportswriters and players alike, that the amount of cat-fighting on the tour is far less than would be expected given the environment, and that some writers like to play the "jealousy" angle because it sells papers. No-one wants to hear that the players (for the most part) get along.

Part of the insularity that does exist could probably be attributed in part to the fact that the women's players turn pro at younger ages, and are usually (therefore) accompanied by older relatives as they travel. In many cases, the parents are the ones who instill the "you have to hate them to win" attitude. Pierce and Capriati were perfect examples; they tried to be friends but their fathers refused to allow them to socialize for fear that it would blunt their competitive fires (and because Jim and Stefano hated each other).

Additionally, and on a related note, you have a higher percentage of introverts on the women's tour than on the men's. This is inextricably entwined with the previous discussion; turning pro at younger ages and keeping parents around keeps the girls from developing the ability to associate comfortably with their peers. Sure, they could do it when they were kids, but it's different with adolescents. At the ages the girls were supposed to be in high school, they were out clobbering tennis balls for a living, relating only to adults.

This isn't always true, of course. Most of the top Russian girls hang out together; Dementieva (the mother hen) and Kirilenko are the outsiders there. Even Sharapova has been welcomed into the fold a bit since playing Fed Cup. Hanutuchova routinely shows up when the players are asked who their friends on the tour are, as do Kuznetsova (the party animal) and Mirza. Sugiyama is very well liked. The ones that have bigger and more insulating entourages are the ones who tend to be loners.

As many tennis writers have noted, this is in part an exaggeration. I'd be interested to know the context behind the quote, and specifically what she was asked that elicited that response.

There's certainly a fair amount of heirarchy in the game, with younger/higher-ranked players pulling rank on younger/lower-ranked ones. But it's often noted, by sportswriters and players alike, that the amount of cat-fighting on the tour is far less than would be expected given the environment, and that some writers like to play the "jealousy" angle because it sells papers. No-one wants to hear that the players (for the most part) get along.

Part of the insularity that does exist could probably be attributed in part to the fact that the women's players turn pro at younger ages, and are usually (therefore) accompanied by older relatives as they travel. In many cases, the parents are the ones who instill the "you have to hate them to win" attitude. Pierce and Capriati were perfect examples; they tried to be friends but their fathers refused to allow them to socialize for fear that it would blunt their competitive fires (and because Jim and Stefano hated each other).

Additionally, and on a related note, you have a higher percentage of introverts on the women's tour than on the men's. This is inextricably entwined with the previous discussion; turning pro at younger ages and keeping parents around keeps the girls from developing the ability to associate comfortably with their peers. Sure, they could do it when they were kids, but it's different with adolescents. At the ages the girls were supposed to be in high school, they were out clobbering tennis balls for a living, relating only to adults.

This isn't always true, of course. Most of the top Russian girls hang out together; Dementieva (the mother hen) and Kirilenko are the outsiders there. Even Sharapova has been welcomed into the fold a bit since playing Fed Cup. Hanutuchova routinely shows up when the players are asked who their friends on the tour are, as do Kuznetsova (the party animal) and Mirza. Sugiyama is very well liked. The ones that have bigger and more insulating entourages are the ones who tend to be loners.

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Thank you for that most informative response. I truly appreciate it.

I remember reading an article many years ago in a sports magazine relating a story about when Hingis and Kournikova were doubles team mates. According to the article Hingis became enraged when Anna began to receive most of the attention and they had a knock down drag out fight behind closed doors resulting in Martina throwing a vase of flowers at Anna and shouting (allegedly) "I'm the princess of the WTA tour!!"

God knows if any of it’s true but the story did stick in my mind. Then, as I related in my earlier post, I heard commentators state that the women on the tour don’t really hang out together off the court like the men do. Add in that comment from Ivanovic and you have the genesis of my question.

There is already another thread where you can discuss the... things you're into, superstition. But please don't post these pictures here.

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Someone asked for photos of real women, and Schiavone is not only a real woman but a fun player to watch. Just because you don't find her attractive doesn't mean no one else does. The same thing is true for Petrova and Bartoli. If you look in the other topic you'll see plenty of photos of guys who I think are ugly, but you don't see me telling people they have no right to post them. If they like those people that's their business.

One person said no pics of Bartoli and another said she's cute. So, the idea that any person here can dictate taste to others is silly. Again, some of the ladies in the other topic post photos of guys like Ferrer and I don't tell them they're a "stick in the ass" because I think he's unattractive. A guy I play tennis with said he watches Wimbledon just to see Sharapova and other guys have said she's ugly. Everyone has different opinions. There are a lot of Russian women who look like Petrova.

Superstition - I could post the girls you posted on a neutral site, say a car forum, and have a poll on whether they are attractive or not. I'm confident it would be at least 95% not. They don't belong in a 'best female attributes' thread. Seriously.

Everybody, slooooowly step back from the grenade. Let it go. If there's a thread we don't want drama in, this is it.

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this is true...but I do believe SS is posting here to stir the pot so to speak.

SS, no flame, but why post here, we all have seen that you are not on this team so to speak? Do you frequent this thread to appreciate the female form or to insight a bunch of knuckle dragging chauvinist? :wink: